’19-20 season reboot opens vs. Wizards
No LeBron James to face in Orlando. That’s good news for Phoenix, but Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will await the Suns as the NBA released its eight-game regular season schedule Friday for the 2019-20 resumption in Orlando set to begin July 30.
The Suns (26-39) will open July 31 against Washington (24-40), which has the worst record of the 22 teams resuming the season, but their remaining seven games are against current playoff teams.
Fox Sports Arizona networks are showing Phoenix’s first seven games with the last game to be determined.
7/31: vs. Washington Wizards (0-1), 1 p.m.
8/2:
iip.m.
ivs. Dallas Mavericks
(1-1), 6
8/4 vs. Los Angeles Clippers (1-2), 1 p.m. i 8/6 vs. Indiana Pacers (0-1), 1 p.m. i 8/8 vs. Miami Heat (0-1), 4:30 p.m. i 8/10 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (0-2), 11:30 a.m.
8/11 vs. Philadelphia
1:30 p.m.
8/13
TBD.
The Suns are six games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference held by Memphis and are essentially competing with the Grizzlies, Portland, New Orleans, Sacramento and San Antonio for that final playoff spot in the conference.
Dallas (40-27) hasn't clinched a playoff spot, but in all likelihood will as it is the seventh spot and seven games ahead of Memphis (32-33).
The Suns will have to get within four games of the eighth-place team to force a play-in tournament and then win two straight games over that team to make the playoffs.
One play-in loss would end Phoenix’s season. The Suns haven’t made the postseason since 2010 when they reached the conference finals.
The Suns are 3-8 against their eight opponents with the last win coming Jan. 28 at Dallas by 29 points. The last team they played on their schedule was the Clippers, who beat them 102-92 Feb. 26 in Phoenix.
The Suns will be without starter Kelly Oubre Jr., who reportedly is opting out
iivs.
Dallas
76ers
Mavericks
(1-0),
(1-1), of playing as he had knee surgery March 3. Oubre was having a career season as the team's third-leading scorer at 18.7 points a game.
There were 11 teams Phoenix hadn’t finished its regular-season series against before the season was put on hold March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus. i Mavs i Clippers i Pacers i Wizards i 76ers i Heat i Thunder i New Orleans Pelicans i Utah Jazz i Houston Rockets i L.A. Lakers
The Suns had two more games against Dallas as they were scheduled to face the Mavs on the road March 14 before the season was put on hold. They don’t face the Jazz or the Rockets, two teams the Suns soundly defeated the last time they played them. i 127-91 vs. Houston Feb. 7 i 131-111 at Utah Feb. 24.
Phoenix is 2-5 in its last seven games, but the Suns haven’t played since March 10 when losing at Portland, 121-105.
With this being such an unprecedented situation filled with multiple variables ranging from COVID-19 to players having not played in a regulation game since March, who knows how all this will play out.
What is certain is Phoenix has an opportunity to continue playing.